Back before computers were ubiquitous, salespeople had a hard time showing their customers what stuff looked like, especially big stuff. Sure, there were photographs and drawings, but for a full three-dimensional effect, you needed a physical model. That’s where Topping, Inc. came in. »6/10/15 5:20pm 6/10/15 5:20pm

We might all need to buy new baby bottles. A new study by researchers at the University of Calgary has show for the first time that a widely used BPA substitute called BPS could have the same harmful health effects as the chemical we ditched. BPA-free might not mean squat. »1/13/15 11:42am 1/13/15 11:42am

As a nation, the United States consumes a whopping 8 billion chickens every year, and this results in a few mountains' worth of chicken feathers in pure waste. But no more, some entrepreneurs say: chicken feathers could be the future of plastic. »3/01/14 11:00am 3/01/14 11:00am

Soda's bad for you, but plastics—especially the petroleum-based PET plastics used widely for bottles—are bad for everyone. Thankfully, after millions of dollars and years of research, Pepsi thinks it's cracked the code on a 100% plant-based PET bottle. »3/16/11 3:20pm 3/16/11 3:20pm

I throw out more expired food than I like to admit, but half the time, it's because I can't remember when I bought it, and can't tell if it's spoiled or not. This new, "intelligent" plastic could fix that. »1/07/11 4:40pm 1/07/11 4:40pm

Bisphenol A, or BPA, as its close friends call it, is a chemical used to create plastics. It's included in a ton of great stuff—water bottles, tooth fillings, sports equipment—because it's cheap and shatterproof. It also kills sperm. »11/05/10 4:30pm 11/05/10 4:30pm

Four months after boasting of vacuums made from recycled sea junk, Electrolux now has five colorful cleaners to show off. They're made from 70 per cent recycled plastics, with each cleaner's design representing the ocean the rubbish came from. »10/26/10 10:50am 10/26/10 10:50am

There's one kinda big problem with SunChips' new 100% compostable bag: It's noisy as Hell. An Air Force pilot says it's louder than the cockpit of his jet, and this video test pegs it at a potentially damaging 95 decibels. »8/19/10 1:16am 8/19/10 1:16am

Earlier this week, IBM researchers announced a discovery that could lead to plastics made from plants instead of petroleum. The new plastics will be more energy efficient, more versatile, and infinitely recyclable (until we move to our space colony). »3/10/10 11:00pm 3/10/10 11:00pm

This nature photography by Chris Jordan isn't for the faint of heart. The series of decomposing bird carcasses faithfully documents the impact of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch on albatross chicks in the Midway Atoll. »10/19/09 11:40am 10/19/09 11:40am

Imagine concrete that's two-thirds granulated plastic, but is as strong as the stuff currently in use. Architect/engineer Henry Miller figured out how to make it, not just on paper, but in a couple of real-life structures. »9/22/09 6:20pm 9/22/09 6:20pm

Curious as to how all those plastic cups, trash cans and containers you get at Ikea are made? Random Good Stuff takes a tour of the Koziol plastics factory in Germany, where many of those household items are designed. »7/07/09 8:40pm 7/07/09 8:40pm

It may look all innocent, but this little logic circuit is made from organic molecules that lined themselves up to form 300 transistors, without the need for machine production. This kind of chip-in-a-test-tube approach to creating semiconductors, demonstrated as effective for the first time by Philips Research, could…
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Denmark has a disgusting problem. The waste produced by the country's 20 million pigs is slowly choking the environment—which has prompted a local company named Agroplast to devise a unique solution. Specifically, they have developed a means of processing animal waste (pig urine most notably) and transforming it into… »4/22/08 6:00pm 4/22/08 6:00pm

If Paulette Prins' vision of the future is on target, future gadgets will be nearly indestructible, thanks to flexible screens and all-plastic chipsets. Prins, a Dutch researcher from Delft University of Technology, claims that plastic chipsets should be used in future tech cause they can absorb bounces, drops, and… »3/28/07 10:48am 3/28/07 10:48am